Preface We have been teaching UG and PG students of biosciences since last 20 years. Students of various disciplines have completed their UG and PG programmes. While screening them at the common entrance examination or common competition examinations we found a poor interface between and among the various faculties and even students. The main barrier was the terminology. The concern faculties and students were many a times unaware of the sister branches of the same discipline. Microbiology is not an exception in it. When we seat together with pathological microbiologists, environmental microbiologists, microbial biotechnologists, marine microbiologists, soil microbiologists, virologists and so on, our group discussion looses its consistence with logical proliferation. And the cause is diversity in the terminology each one of us using. We are unaware of the terms being used in a single discipline of microbiology. Teaching or research assumes a logical, interesting and useful band only when we are comprehensively aware of the terms of the at least sister concerned branches say for instance microbiology here. It is our humble effort in this collection to break the terminological barrier among the various segment of microbiology discipline. We hope this will bridge the knowledge and know-how to microbiologist working in various facets of microbiology.

(+)sense RNA (plus-sense RNA)     :    A virus with a single-stranded RNA genome of the same polarity (‘sense’) as mrna.

B    :    Born.      B cell, also known as a B lymphocyte      :    One of the major types of cells in the immune system. B cells can differentiate to form memory cells or antibody-forming cells. OR A type of lymphocyte derived from bone marrow stem cells that matures into an immunologically competent cell under the influence of the bursa of Fabricius in the chicken and bone marrow in nonavian species. Following interaction with antigen, it becomes a plasma cell, which synthesizes and secretes antibody molecules involved in humoral immunity.

C    :    Cytosine. C domains    :    The constant regions of the polypeptide chains of immunoglobulin molecules are made up of one or more constant domains or C domains of similar structure; each immunoglobulin chain also has a single variable or V domain.

D gene segments, diversity gene segments     :    D gene segments, or diversity gene segments, are short DNA sequences that join the V and J gene segments in rearranged immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes and in T-cell receptor â and ä chain genes. See gene segments.     D loop    :    An extended loop of single-stranded DNA displaced from a duplex structure by an oligonucleotide.

E    :    Reduction potential.     Early induced responses    :    The early induced responses or early nonadaptive responses are a series of host defense responses that are triggered by infectious agents early in infection. They are distinct from innate immunity because there is an inductive phase, and from adaptive immunity in that they do not operate by clonal selection of rare antigen-specific lymphocytes.

F    :    Faraday constant. OR Food - represents BOD in the F/M ratio. Expressed in pounds. F factor    :    The fertility factor, a plasmid that carries the genes for bacterial conjugation and makes its E. coli host cell the gene donor during conjugation. OR A large bacterial plasmid, known as the sex-factor plasmid because it permits mating between F+ and F- bacteria. 

G    :    Gibbs free energy OR Guanine. G proteins    :    G proteins are intracellular proteins that bind GTP and convert it to GDP in the process of cell signal transduction. There are two kinds of G protein, the heterotrimeric (α,β, γ) receptor-associated G proteins, and the small G proteins, such as Ras and Raf, that act downstream of many transmembrane signaling events.

H    :    Hour. H    :    Planck’s constant. H antigens, histocompatibility antigens   :    H antigens or histocompatibility antigens, are known as major histocompatibility antigens when they encode molecules that present foreign peptides to T cells and as minor H antigens when they present polymorphic self peptides to T cells. See also histocompatibility.

I&D    :    Incision and drainage.      I&E    :    Internal and external.      I&O    :    Intake and output.      I.P. (IP)    :    Intraperitoneal .     I.V. (IV)    :    Intravenous.

J    :    Joule. J    :    Joining segment. J chain      :    A polypeptide present in polymeric IgM and IgA that links the subunits together.      J gene segments, joining gene segments     :    The J gene segments, or joining gene segments, are found some distance 5' to the C genes in immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor loci. A V and in the case of IgH chains, tcrâ chains and tcrä chains, a D gene segment must also rearrange to a J gene segment to form a complete V-region exon.

K    :    Kilo (103g).   K    :    Potassium. KA    :    Ketoacidosis. Karlvon Baer    :    Person who‚ in 1828‚ published on the developmental stages in mammalian eggs and showed that an undifferentiated‚ single-celled egg grows into a many-celled embryo.

K    :    Kilo (103g). K    :    Potassium. KA    :    Ketoacidosis. Karlvon Baer    :    Person who‚ in 1828‚ published on the developmental stages in mammalian eggs and showed that an undifferentiated‚ single-celled egg grows into a many-celled embryo.

M    :    Milli (10-3l). M    :    Molar (mol/L). M    :    Microorganisms - small organisms which require a microscope to be seen. M represents the SS in the mixed liquor and is part of the F/M ratio. 

N    :    Avogadro’s number. N    :    Nano (10-9m). N&M    :    Nerves and muscles.     N&T    :    Nose and throat. N&V    :    Nausea and vomiting.      NA    :    Nucleic acid.

O    :    Pint. O antigen      :    A polysaccharide antigen extending from the outer membrane of some gram-negative bacterial cell walls; it is part of the lipopolysaccharide. O&E    :    Observation and examination. Oa    :    Open access.

P    :    Phosphate. p    :    Pico (10-12). P&S    :    Permanent and stationary. PO    :    Per oral; by mouth (see also IV; IP;). PA    :    Postero-anterior; pulmonary artery.     PAC    :    P1-derived artificial chromosome.

Q    :    Ubiquinone (coq). Q    :    Every. Q fever      :    An acute zoonotic disease caused by the rickettsia Coxiella burnetii.

R    :    Gas constant. R factors  R plasmids      :    Plasmids bearing one or more drug resistant genes. R group    :    Shorthand for the side chain of an amino acid. 

S    :    Second. S    :    Sedimentation coefficient. OR Svedberg unit. S phase    :    The period during the cell cycle when the chromosome is replicated. S7P    :    Sedoheptulose-7-phosphate.

T    :    Thymine T    :    TH1 cells are a subset of CD4 T cells that are characterized by the cytokines they produce. They are mainly involved in activating macrophages, and are sometimes called inflammatory CD4 T cells. OR TH2 cells are a subset of CD4 T cells that are characterized by the cytokines they produce. They are mainly involved in stimulating B cells to produce antibody, and are often called helper CD4 T cells. OR The term TH3 cell has been used to describe unique cells that produce mainly transforming growth factor-â in response to antigen; they develop predominantly in the mucosal immune response to antigens that are presented orally. OR See regulatory T cells.

U    :    Units. U&L    :    Upper and lower. U&MNP    :    Ulnar and median nerve palsy. U/O    :    Under observation for.    U/WB    :    Unit of whole blood. UA    :    Umbilical artery; uric acid; urinalysis.     UC    :    Ulcerative colitis; unchanged; unconscious. 

V    :    Volt. V domain    :    The variable region of the polypeptide chains of an immunoglobulin or T-cell receptor is composed of a single N-terminal V domain. Paired V domains form the antigen-binding sites of immunoglobulins and T-cell receptors.

W    :    Watt. W&D    :    Warm and dry. W/A    :    Weakness atrophy.      W/C    :    Wheelchair.      W/E    :    Wound of entry.      W/U    :    Workup. 

X    :    Times; power; multiplied by. Xenobiotic    :    Compound foreign to biological systems. Often refers to humanmade compounds that are resistant or recalcitrant to biodegradation and decomposition.